1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel having high heat conductive performance.
2. The Related Art
Plasma display panels are widely used in applications such as gasoline dispensers. The plasma display panel comprises a panel unit containing a plurality of discharge cells. The panel unit emits light beams to display an image when a voltage is applied across electrodes of each of a selected group of discharge cells. The panel unit, which is the main part of the plasma display panel, is fabricated by bonding two glass base plates together in such a manner as to sandwich the discharge cells therebetween.
The discharge cells in the plasma display panel generate heat when they emit light for image formation, which causes the temperature of the panel unit to rise. As a brightness of the discharge cells increases, the amount of heat generated in the discharge cells also increases. And the discharge cells tend to exacerbate the breakage problem of the panel unit of the plasma display panel.
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a plasma display panel 150 disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,618. The plasma display panel 150 comprises a panel unit 12 and a heat sink unit 2 bonded to the panel unit 12 with an adhesive layer 50. The heat sink unit 2 is made of aluminum or its alloy and the adhesive layer 50 is made of thermosetting silicone adhesive. The heat sink unit 2 comprises a plurality of fins 212 and a fin anchoring portion 211. The heat generated inside the panel unit 12 during the operation of the plasma display panel 150 is conducted to the heat sink unit 2 through the adhesive layer 50 and is dissipated into the outside air from the surfaces of the heat sink unit 2, especially from the surfaces of the fins 212.
However, the heat conductivity of the adhesive layer 50 is poor, so that heat generated by the panel unit 12 cannot be conducted to the heat sink unit 2 quickly. Further, the heat sink unit 2 is made of isotropic materials, resulting that the heat cannot be transferred directly to the fins 212 quickly and wholly because the heat is transferred in all directions in the fin anchoring portion 211 before being transferred to the fins 212. As a result, it is difficult to fully utilize the heat conduction performance of the fins 212, which has an adverse affect on the heat conductive performance of the heat sink unit 2.